"Everybody is spoken for on the weekends during the holidays," Grace said. "You want your guests to receive your (invitation) first if you want people to show up to your events. I tell people to buy the invitations in October—early November the very latest."

Grace said you should also get your decorations early.

"The more generic they are, the more cost-effective it is," she said. "From a catering perspective, talk to caterers or vendors about purchasing in bulk so it's less expensive—so you'll have your food secured for your actual party."

Dig up the snow removal materials. Lisa Kemper reminded readers on Facebook to "take the snow shovel from the closet to the patio." You might be spending a lot of time with your shovel this winter, so make sure it's one you like.

And if you have snowblower, Facebook user Rick Vendl said to "be sure to get a tuneup."

Get rid of clothes that don't fit. Mother of two Sheila Ashford from Chicago said the change in weather is a great time to go through the closets and decide what you can live without.

"If I haven't worn it in a year, we put it in the charity pile," she said. "And my two kids are growing like weeds, so if it's tight now, there's no way they'll be wearing it next year. We clear out room in the drawers and pass (the clothes) on to friends with kids, or the Salvation Army."

Stock up on firewood. "My husband has committed to cut down several of the large dead buckthorn in our yard and chop them into firewood," wrote Stacey Moe on Facebook.

Move to a warmer climate. Of course, you wouldn't have to deal with these changes if you're like reader Randy Simms, who wrote on Facebook that he'll only be stocking up on aloe, "because the weather in southwest Florida is beautiful this time of year."

The Chicago Cubs on Tuesday sought City Hall permission to expand construction hours at Wrigley Field, with bleacher work falling well behind schedule on the team's $375 million ballpark renovation project.

On Wednesday night, TBS will air a special episode of "Conan" filmed entirely in Cuba, making it the first American late-night show to broadcast from the island nation since the embargo went into effect in 1962. Host Conan O'Brien will follow in the footsteps of Jack Paar,...